Jungus Jordan

Notable: When searching for Jungus Jordan in Google, Fortworthology’s Jordan/Streetcar editorial is on the first page.

Dennis Shingleton

Similar to Frank Moss’s presence, limited to a campaign Facebook page.

Kathleen Hicks

Very active on Twitter.

Has a web presence, however, not very findable; the site could use a design refresh and some search engine tweaks for findability.

Has a Flickr account for photos.

Joel Burns

Very active on Twitter.

Has a clean website.

Caveats

All media use has a cost in time, effort and attention to create that media (even 140 character tweets). I’m going to err on the side of optimism and hope that each council rep is using their time appropriately, and also recognize they commit to events, meetings, phone calls and emails social media does not make public.

Price, Hicks and Burns seem to have figured out a balance to stay engaged with constituents and remain active in their personal and professional duties while using social media. I feel like they get modern, 21st century civic engagement and thus have gained my trust and respect. And when used well, use of social media can do that to create effective civic outcomes.

The Point

Fort Worth is attempting to brand itself as a more modern city, engaged and aware of its citizens’ needs. Per the SteerFW event:

Employment Oportunities

Goal: Create strong preception and brand for the city that will stimulate emerging entrepreneurial businesses — such as tech, health care, green and research industries — to grow into large employers for our city.

Urban Development

Goal: Encourage development that includes sustainability standards that encompass a balance/focus on environmental, economic and social consciousness for all local communities.

It’s unfair to use a council rep’s adoption of Twitter as a metric for modern, connected civic engagement. They do good work. That should be appreciated. But the above two points rely on doing things differently and becoming connected in a different way that’s more agile, adaptable and astute.